Boys' name · since 1917
Sy
Sy has 972 recorded births since 1917 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2003 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5,230 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,743 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 972
- born since 1917
- 2000s
- peak decade
972 babies have been named Sy since 1917, making it today's #7743 boys' name.
Sy has 972 recorded births among boys since 1917, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7743 as of the latest data, more common than 44% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #5,230 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,743 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 972 born since 1917
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sy ranks #5,230 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,743 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 972 born since 1917, peaking in the 2000s.
- #5,230 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,743 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 972
- born since 1917
- 2000s
- peak decade
Sy's 972 recorded births place it above 88.49% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Sy compares
972 Top 32% higher than 68% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sy's all-time total is 163% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sy | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 972 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 33 | 34 | 22,252 |
Sy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sy's full recorded timeline at 1989, 64% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 36% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2003 peak of 33 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sy popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 33
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Sy by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (249 births, 26% of the file).
2000s was Sy's strongest decade.
249 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Sy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 12
1910s
12 births
- 1920s 17
1920s
17 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 32
1950s
32 births
- 1960s 32
1960s
32 births
- 1970s
1970s
103 births
- 1980s
1980s
147 births
- 1990s
1990s
149 births
- 2000s
2000s
249 births
- 2010s
2010s
157 births
- 2020s 58
2020s
58 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 249 births (26% of all-time use).
How Sy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sy's total volume
Sy by state
Where Sy concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 12 | 1.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 6 | 0.6% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 5 | 0.5% |
12 of 972 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sy? ▼
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When was Sy most popular? ▼
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What to do with Sy's data
- Sy's decade-level peak was the 2000s (249 total births); usage has since declined to 58 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Sys (12 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sy
Nearby Names Like Sy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sy
Compare Sy side by side: Sy vs Sylvester Sy vs Sydney Sy vs Sylas
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sy
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~108 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1917–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.